Opportunities for the Development of Soft Skills in Engineer Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3311/ope.462Abstract
In today’s higher education, the development of competencies based on the needs of the labour market, the role of practical training and the application of student-centred teaching methods are becoming more and more important. A particularly important question in engineering education is which abilities and skills are important for an engineer in a rapidly changing, information-based society. Therefore, in addition to hard skills, the development of soft skills also plays an important role. Our research was aimed at mapping the competencies of engineering informatics students and determining development opportunities. The Hungarian version of the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ) was used to examine the students’ personalities. The results of the research showed that the students’ soft skills must be developed – especially in the areas of openness, communication and cooperation. Students’ personality development can be facilitated by courses that focus on self-knowledge and self-esteem, as well as opportunities for cooperation, adaptation, building trust, empathy, and helpfulness. Cooperative methods, collaborative learning, the project method and problem-based learning can also play an important role in higher education.Author Biographies
Ildikó Holik
Ildikó Holik is an associate professor at the Óbuda University Kálmán Kandó Faculty of Electrical Engineering Ágoston Trefort Centre for Engineering Education, Budapest, Hungary. She obtained a PhD degree in pedagogy at the University of Debrecen; her dissertation dealt with the role of practice schools for trainee teachers. Her major fields of research include engineering education and teacher training.
István Dániel Sanda
István Dániel Sanda is an associate professor at the Óbuda University Kálmán Kandó Faculty of Electrical Engineering Ágoston Trefort Centre for Engineering Education, Budapest, Hungary. He obtained a PhD degree in pedagogy at the Eötvös Loránd University in 2009. His dissertation was entitled Examining Educational Spaces with Special Regard to Hungarian Schools in the 20th Century. His major fields of research are the history of education and teacher training.
